4. Flavoured Yoghurt
This one catches a lot of health-conscious people off guard. Yoghurt has a well-earned reputation as a nutritious food, since it’s a good source of protein, calcium, and gut-friendly probiotic bacteria. The problem starts when manufacturers turn plain yoghurt into a flavoured, dessert-like product to make it more appealing on the shelf.
To turn tangy plain yoghurt into a sweet strawberry, vanilla, or caramel-flavoured pot, food companies add a substantial amount of sugar, sometimes several teaspoons’ worth in a single small serving. Fruit-flavoured yoghurts marketed specifically at children are often among the worst offenders, since a “healthy” branded pot can carry as much sugar as a small chocolate bar, without the fibre or fat that would normally slow its absorption.
The irony is that many people choose flavoured yoghurt specifically because they believe it’s the healthy option compared to, say, a pastry, and in some ways it is. But eating it every single morning as a sugar-loaded product, while believing you’re making a virtuous choice, means you may be consuming far more added sugar over the course of a week than you realise.
Better choice: Buy plain or natural yoghurt, ideally a Greek-style version for extra protein, and sweeten it yourself with fresh chopped fruit, a small amount of honey, or a sprinkle of cinnamon. You control exactly how much sugar goes in, and it’s usually a fraction of what’s in the pre-flavoured version.